Come November, EA and DICE will reboot a dormant franchise of their own with Star Wars Battlefront, and though the shooter will focus on events that occurred during the original trilogy a few generations ago, the studios won’t turn their back on the movie universe entirely. In fact, thanks to The Battle of Jakku DLC, Battlefront will actively tie in with J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, focusing on the battle between the Empire and the Republic in and around the time period of Return of the Jedi.
Endor may have acted as the focal point in the adorned threequel, but such a titanic battle had ramifications across the galaxy, hence the reason we see the downed Star Destroyer in the latest teaser trailer for The Force Awakens. For DICE Concept Artist Anton Grandert, the prequel add-on allows the creative team to flesh out an important part of the lore.
“There’s a David and Goliath theme to this,” says Grandert. “The epic, huge super structures of the Star Destroyers contrast against the tiny but brave Rebel soldiers fighting the Imperial forces. We wanted to portray a battle completely surrounding you, in every direction. Debris is falling from the sky, telling the story of battles above. On the surface of the planet you can see ground troops as well as X-wings, all taking part of the fight.”
The Battle of Jakku will introduce players to an entirely new area in Star Wars Battlefront, joining the ranks of Hoth, Tatooine, Endor, and the mysterious planet Sullust. Those who pre-order the shooter will be entitled to the prequel DLC right off the bat, while it’s understood the expansion will launch for all at the beginning of December. Just in time for Abrams’ sequel.
Star Wars Battlefront will kick off a massive holiday season for the beloved IP when it launches across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 17.
